Essential Hope

The rain had calmed down to a light drizzle as you and Harry leapt out of the car, closely followed by Carson. The first words you heard clearly came from your mother:

“KEEP YOUR HUSBANDS FAT ASS AWAY FROM MY GERANIUMS!” You shot a worried look at Harry as you both came upon the scene. But, as you took a second look, nothing seemed wrong. No flowers were out of place, nothing looked ruined, heck, the hedges looked better than they did before! But your mom’s nasty words had angered Petunia.

“Don’t you dare talk about my husband!” She shrieked, shoving your own mom back a few feet. Your mother got one good shove in, before you and Harry placed yourselves
between them. Over your shoulder, your mom called to Petunia,

“At least I know how to care for my garden, instead of letting it die and giving our neighborhood a bad name!” Petunia lunged past Harry, and tumbled into you and your mom, taking all three of you to the ground. Vernon and Jeff, who had been in a heated argument over the shrubs, now turned to look at their wives, who were sprawled in the grass, soaked and muddy. Harry held out his hand, and helped pull you out from between them. You were soaked, muddy, and very angry. Your mom and Petunia were slapping and pulling each others hair, just like teenagers would fight. It was pathetic, almost more pathetic than what they were fighting over. You voiced your thoughts to Harry, who laughed. Vernon helped his wife up, while Jeff yanked your mom off the ground. Carson stepped in between the two families.

“Alright, all of you, quit! This is pathetic! If we can’t get along here, lets just stay away from each other!” Everyone was red in the face, glaring daggers at one another. Reluctantly, Jeff and Vernon, seeming to not want any part to do with this anymore, walked solemnly back to their houses. Your mother ran a hand through her hair, held her head high, and said,

“You’re right Carson. I shouldn’t be wasting my energy putting this tramp into place.” You sighed exasperatedly.

“Mom, seriously, shut up!” Carson grabbed your mom’s arm, and steered her towards the house. You shook your head in utter disbelief of what you just saw. Harry was staring at you, a dazed smile on his face.

“Well, now that that’s over, why don’t you come up to my room, I’ll ask the Weasley’s if you could stay with them too.” You were just about to head off after Harry, when your mom shrieked,

“Kelsey Lynette Werner! Get in here RIGHT now!” You winced at the sharpness in her voice, and said,

“I’ll be right over, let me see what she wants.” Harry laughed and said,

“Hurry before she comes out here again!” Smiling, you walked into the house, kicking off your muddy shoes. You went into the family room. Jeff was sitting in the reclining chair, and opposite him, on the couch, were Carson and Lakey. You took your seat between your brothers, and ended up with Lakey crawling into your lap. Your mother came out from the kitchen, and sat delicately on the arm of Jeff’s chair. She looked over at you, and asked,

“Where were you and that Dursley boy today?” You knew your mom meant Harry, so you said,

“His last name is Potter, not Dursley. And we went to town today.” Your mom pursed
her lips, and then said,

“I don’t like you spending time alone with a boy.” You rolled your eyes, and said,

“My God, mom! Is it so bad that I make some friends in this neighborhood?”

“You’re going off to school in a few weeks, I don’t see the point in making friends with
anyone here!” Though your conscience told you to keep your mouth shut, you decided to ignore it, and say,
“He’s going to Hogwarts too, you know.” Your mom and Jeff both raised their eyebrows in shock, and looked at each other. Jeff finally spoke.

“So that’s why his family is so fucked up!” You rolled your eyes again, and said,

“He’s the only wizard out of them all. Petunia and Vernon are his aunt and uncle. His parents are dead, just like dad is.” Your mom winced at the mention of your father. She glowered at you, and said,

“Maybe sending you to Hogwarts is a bad idea.” You moved Lakey to the couch, and stood up.

“Maybe you can’t stop me.” You replied flatly, walking past your mom to the stairs.

“Kelsey, you are not leaving this house the rest of the summer. And you will not be going to Hogwarts either. You can go to a normal high school, just like a normal girl. No more mention of this magic shit, you hear me?” You turned on the first step, and faced your mom. She squared her shoulders, and glared at you. You walked forward, and stood just a few inches from her. You were a little bit shorter than her, but that didn’t matter. You whispered menacingly,

“You never loved dad, did you? You just married him for money, am I right? You wanted that money so bad, you ignored the fact that he was different. That he was an amazing wizard. One of the best Aurors the Wizarding world has ever seen. But what had that ever mattered to you? The day he got killed, I knew you could have cared less. You got some money, sure. But where do you think most of his money went? It’s in his Wizarding bank, in galleons. Money you will never see, because it’s rightfully mine. And now you’re married to this half ass loser, who can’t even bring money into the house. So if this is the life you want, then FINE. But as for me, I’m going to live up to my dad’s name. I’m Kelsey Spence, not Kelsey Werner. I’m going to Hogwarts, whether you like it or not.”

You turned on your heel, and walked up the stairs. Once in your room, you wasted no time. You opened your closet and opened your suitcase. You packed everything you needed, and made sure you had all the books, equipment and tools your father had left you. You shut your trunk, and then grabbed your backpack.

You filled it with possessions you couldn’t bear to part with, like your tiger, pictures of your dad, you, Lakey and Carson, and other special trinkets. You changed quickly, pulling on a pair of form fitting jeans, a black baby tee with red designs on it, and you slipped on your Vans shoes. You brushed out your blonde hair, letting it fall where it wanted. You grabbed your favorite hoodie, and just as you were slipping it on, your door opened. Lakey walked in slowly, and then climbed on your bed.

“You’re really leaving?” He asked sadly, looking at your suitcase and backpack. You nodded, and said,

“I need to go now, or I wont be able to go to my school. You know daddy would be sad if I didn’t become an Auror like him.”

Lakey nodded, and then suddenly jumped up, and ran across the hall to his room. He returned moments later, something hidden in his hand. He was tall enough so you didn’t have to kneel to his height. Though he acted like he was a little kid, he was nine, and tall for his age. He grinned, and said,

“Close your eyes and hold out your hand!” You smiled, and did as he said. You felt a cool, metal chain fall into your hands. You opened your eyes, and saw Lakey’s favorite necklace. It was the one you two made together a long time ago. It had a heart pendant, and engraved on the heart, you and Lakey had wrote something on each side. While you had written, ‘Believe in Love’ on your side, Lakey had engraved, “I Love Platypuses’. It had made you laugh then, and it made you laugh now as you read it. You fastened it around your neck, and gave your little brother a hug. He laughed, and said,

“Its so when you get sad and miss me, you can read it and not be so upset!”

“I’ll definitely miss you and Carson the most!” You exclaimed. As Lakey watched you pick up your bags, he asked,

“You’re leaving right now?” You looked at your little brother, and there was a pang of regret in your heart. You’d never been far away from your brother like this, and it hurt to go.

“Well,” you began, thinking of what you could tell him. You weren’t even sure if you could go
with Harry, but it seemed like the most solid excuse.

“I’m leaving tonight with Harry.”

“Will you come back to say goodbye?” He asked, looking up at you irresistibly.

“Of course,” you said, though you weren’t sure you would. He sensed the uncertainty in your voice, and asked again,

“Really..?” To prove your point, you sat your suitcase and backpack back down, and said,

“Really. But I gotta go, I’ve been keeping Harry waiting too long. But I swear I’ll be back.” You told him, and then raced down the stairs, and ran barefoot out the door. Harry had been watching for you, and had run to greet you at the door. He led you upstairs, and into his room. It had only a wardrobe, a desk and a twin bed, but the walls were covered with red and gold posters, flags, trinkets- everything! There were pictures on the wall of friends, and one of him and a tall, black haired man.

“That’s Sirius.” Harry said softly, coming up next to you. You smiled and looked at Harry.

“He looks like he was a great man.” You told him. Harry smiled proudly and said.

“The best.” He then turned to his window, and said,

“I’m waiting for Hedwig, my owl, to get back. I already sent a letter asking if you could come, to be sure they’d get it in time.” You grinned excitedly, and said,

“Awesome, thanks!” You sat down on his bed and checked the time. It was about eight thirty. Harry sat down at his desk and got comfortable. While you two waited for Hedwig, Harry agreed to tell you stories about his adventures at Hogwarts. A good two hours passed, until finally, Harry spotted something out the window.

“Hedwig!” He exclaimed. The gorgeous snowy owl perched on the window, holding out his leg with a letter. Harry opened it quickly, and read to you,

Dear Harry,
We’re so excited to see you tonight! Fred and George are still here, driving me up the wall, so you will sleep in Ron’s room again. As for Kelsey, we would love to have another guest! The more the merrier! She can stay with Hermione and Ginny in Ginny’s room. We’re sending two Aurors to pick you both up, be ready by 11 o’clock. Have a safe trip!
-Mrs. Weasley

“Yes!” You and Harry both exclaimed, jumping up and hugging each other. Harry glanced at the time.

“Go get ready, it’s already 10:45! Meet me outside in about 10 minutes.” You agreed, and rushed down the stairs. You ran over to your house quickly. You opened the door quietly. The whole house was dark. You knew Lakey would still be awake, but since your mom and Jeff were asleep, you wanted to keep it that way. You walked down the dark hallway, and reached for the staircase handrail. You found it, and as your eyes adjusted slightly to the darkness, you crept up the stairs. Everything was dark. It was almost unnerving walking down the hall to your room. You opened the door, and stepped inside, reaching for the light. You closed the door, and snapped the light on. You had been half expecting someone to be in your room, but when you saw it was empty, you felt better. You grabbed your suitcase, slipped on your backpack, and turned to walk out the door.

You hadn’t even heard Jeff creep down the hall after you. He was leaning in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest.

“Forget it, Kelsey. You’re trapped.”